Nasmus

Principal Museum Scientist
and Head of Department

Rod M. Douglas PhD    rod [dot] douglas [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za

Rod embarked on a museum career in 1984. While at the Museum he obtained the following qualifications: Southern African Museums Technical Certificate in Biology (1988, with distinction); MSc in Environmental Biology with a thesis titled "Investigations into the ecology of the herpetofauna of Florisbad Research Station, Orange Free State, South Africa" (1993, University of Natal, Durban); Interdisciplinary PhD in Geology and Geography with a thesis titled “A new perspective on the geohydrological and surface processes controlling the depositional environment at the Florisbad archaeozoological site” (2009, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein).

See Research and Publications for further details.

Principal Museum Scientist

Michael F. Bates PhD    herp [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za

Mike started working at the Museum in 1983 as a Research Assistant. He was awarded a National Diploma in Nature Conservation from Pretoria Technikon in 1984.  He obtained an MSc in Environmental Biology with a thesis entitled "The herpetofauna of the Orange Free State - with special emphasis on biogeographical patterning" (1993, University of Natal, Durban) and a PhD in Zoology with a thesis titled “An analysis of the Pseudocordylus melanotus (A. Smith) complex (Sauria: Cordylidae)” (2007, University of Stellenbosch). Both the latter were completed while at the National Museum.

See Research and Publications for further detail.

Research Assistant

Agnes Phindane BSc    agnes [dot] phindane [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za

Agnes obtained her BSc in Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of the Free State. She was appointed as a Research Assistant in the Department of Herpetology in November 2008, after working for a year as an intern, funded by the national Department of Arts and Culture. Her duties include keeping the various databases (e.g. specimen collection, photographic image collection, literature reprint collection etc.) up to date as well as all aspects of curation.

Museum Assistant

Edgar Mohapi

Edgar joined the Department of Herpetology in 1994. His duties are mainly curatorial, as well as the maintenance and feeding of the Museum's live displays. He is a keen field worker and an expert reptile and amphibian collector.